Benoit the tabby cat has also befriended pheasants and a skunk

A cat named Benoit in Bible Hill, N.S., is getting a lot of attention online after his owner took a video of him prancing around playing with deer in her backyard.

"The mama and her twin babies came up and Ben decided that he was going to play with the little girl again and they're chasing each other around the backyard," Corena Saunders told CBC's Mainstreet.

The two are touching, and Benoit (Ben for short) puts his paws on the deer's neck at one point, she said. Another day, she saw the two kiss.

Benoit likes to frollick around his Bible Hill backyard with a doe and her fawns. (Facebook)

Saunders and her boyfriend have dubbed their one-and-a-half year old orange tabby the "animal whisperer" because of his unique ability make friends in the wild with animals including pheasants, birds and a skunk.

Benoit and the skunk

Benoit started going outside this summer, but comes back home around 9 p.m.

That's bedtime so he doesn't get caught by a hungry fox, Saunders said.

One night Saunders came home late and spotted Benoit near the end of the driveway of a nursing home in her neighbourhood. She went to get him, and had an unexpected encounter.

"I thought he was just sitting there with one of his cat friends and here it is a black and white little skunk," she said.

Benoit likes to play games and Saunders wasn't quite sure how to capture him without getting sprayed.

She threw a rock, which startled the skunk, who then went running.

Benoit followed it.

They both went into a culvert and came out at the top of a ridge together, where they continued to sit and wander around for a bit. Finally Benoit decided it was time to go home.

'They don't seem to be scared of him'

Benoit likes to eye up birds, but not for lunch.

Benoit's owner says he's never brought a dead bird home. (Facebook)

"We haven't known him to eat any birds," Saunders said.

That's a pretty big feat for a cat with access to roughly a dozen bird feeders scattered throughout the backyard.

"He lays on the ground, he lays on the fence, and the blue jays, the woodpeckers, the chickadees, they're all around when he's there," she said.

"They don't seem to be scared of him either."

He has brought home dead moles to play with, she said.

'The adventures of Benoit'

Saunders posted her video to a Facebook page called We Love Nova Scotia. It has over 4,000 hits so far.

Saunders said she's been hearing a lot of positive feedback. She calls Benoit a "one of a kind" cat who is fond of animals and people.

"There's a senior fellow who collects four leaf clovers and Ben will walk along our wood line just watching him," Saunders said.

Saunders works in healthcare and frequently tells clients and others about "the adventures of Benoit." Now they can see it for themselves, she said.

Saunders plans to capture Benoit with his other buddies and post the video online.